Tag: A.J. Smith

Longtime NFL executive A.J. Smith dies at 75

A.J. Smith spent three seasons in Washington, working alongside his son, Kyle.

Longtime NFL executive A.J. Smith passed away Sunday at the age of 75. Smith spent over 30 years in the NFL, beginning his career in 1977 as a scout with the New York Giants.

Smith was with the Buffalo Bills from 1986 until 2000, beginning as a scout before moving up to the director of pro personnel. Smith played a role in building the roster of those Buffalo teams that went to four consecutive Super Bowls.

His best work came as general manager of the San Diego Chargers from 2003-12. While with the Chargers, Smith drafted Eli Manning No. 1 overall in 2004 before trading him to the New York Giants for No. 4 pick Philip Rivers and more draft choices.

Smith finished his NFL career as a senior executive/consultant with Washington from 2013-15. Smith was friends with former Washington president Bruce Allen, but the biggest benefit of taking the job was working with his son Kyle.

Kyle Smith spent 2010-20 with Washington, with many believing he’d become the franchise’s next general manager. However, he parted ways after the 2020 season and took a position with the Atlanta Falcons, where he has been ever since.

Feb 25, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Washington Redskins general manager Kyle Smith. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

 

Former Chargers GM A.J. Smith dies at 75

A.J. Smith was the winningest GM in the franchise’s history with 98 wins during his tenure.

Former Chargers general manager A.J. Smith died on Sunday, according to Smith’s son, Kyle, who is the assistant GM for the Falcons.

Smith, who was 75, battled prostate cancer for the past seven years.

Smith served as the Bolts’ director of pro personnel/assistant general manager in 2001, the year they drafted Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson and quarterback Drew Brees.

Smith was promoted to general manager in 2003, and was in that role until 2012.

While Smith was the Chargers’ GM, he selected Eli Manning first overall in the 2004 NFL draft, despite Manning saying he would not play for the team. He was traded to the Giants for Philip Rivers, who had a long successful pro career.

Other successful Chargers players Smith drafted included Shawne Merriman, Vincent Jackson, Darren Sproles, Antonio Cromartie, and Eric Weddle.

Smith went on to be the winningest GM in the franchise’s history with 98 wins during his tenure.

After being let go of, Smith worked for Washington as a consultant before retiring in 2015. His career in the league began as a scout for several teams and he spent 15 years working as an executive for the Bills.

Who is Chargers’ worst draft pick since 2006?

Pro Football Focus identified the Chargers’ worst draft pick not named Ryan Leaf.

The Chargers have hit on a handful of players in the NFL draft throughout the years, but they’ve also had several that didn’t pan out the way the team was anticipating.

Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner identified the worst selection by each of the 32 teams since 2006 and for the Bolts, it was former first-round pick edge defenders Larry English.

While English saw significant time as a rookie, his role diminished after that, as injuries started to pile up. He only played 1,219 snaps in five seasons with the Chargers, and he never earned a grade higher than 64.3 for a season.

It’s easy to pinpoint quarterback Ryan Leaf as the franchise’s worst draft pick, but since this activity only dates back to 2006, English is next up on the list.

Former Chargers general manager A.J. Smith used the pick in hopes of bolstering the linebacker corps and potentially getting a successor to Shawne Merriman.

Unfortunately, English never matched the player he was coming out of Northern Illinois.

English at least spent five seasons with the Bolts, primarily contributing on special teams, that’s when he was without an injury. He played 52 out of 80 games and started only nine games.

Had the Chargers weighed their options, six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Clay Matthews, Jr. was still available when they were on the clock.

One may also argue that wide receiver Craig “Buster” Davis was the worst selection since then (2007). During his four years, Davis was sidelined by sore hips, ribs, hamstrings, Achilles’ tendon and a nagging groin injury, which required two procedures.